Amor Towles – 4/5 Stars
Read this if you:
· love historical fiction and are looking for different perspectives
· enjoy plots driven by a character’s development
· need a heartwarming story of family and friendship
Synopsis:
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol hotel for being an unrepentant aristocrat. A man who has lived a life of grandeur is now exiled to a small attic room throughout many decades in ever-changing Russia. Count Rostov makes the most of his sentence, making dear friends with many of the hotel staff and even some guests, including Nina, who changes the course of his life forever.
My thoughts on the book:
I have to say, this book took me a really long time to read. Not because I wasn’t interested or didn’t want to pick it up, more because it felt like a story that I needed to take my time with. Because this story focused more on Alexander’s development over decades and not so much on a plot, I didn’t feel pressured to keep reading to see what would happen next. I loved the pace of this book and all of the characters in it. Every employee of the Metropol Hotel added even more depth to the story and each one had a unique personality. Count Rostov was such a dynamic character and I enjoyed reading about the changes to his life and personality as he aged through the decades. The ending of this book was so incredible and tied Alexander’s story together so perfectly. Everything in this book was so intricately described, I felt like I could picture the hotel (and every meal eaten!) so clearly.
This book had a bit of everything which I think made it so enjoyable. I especially liked how it focused on the happenings in Russia at the time, and was fascinated by the Bolshevik Revolution. Definitely going to dive into this with some of my next reads!